An experience that appalls.

Causing consternation:
— Appalling conditions.

synonym: dismaying.

Roget 830: causing pain, hurting etc. v.; hurtful etc. (bad) 649; painful; dolorific^†, dolorous; unpleasant; unpleasing, displeasing; disagreeable, unpalatable, bitter, distasteful; uninviting; unwelcome; undesirable, undesired; obnoxious; unacceptable, unpopular, thankless.    unsatisfactory, untoward, unlucky, uncomfortable.    distressing; afflicting, afflictive; joyless, cheerless, comfortless; dismal, disheartening; depressing, depressive; dreary, melancholy, grievous, piteous; woeful, rueful, mournful, deplorable, pitiable, lamentable; sad, affecting, touching, pathetic.    irritating, provoking, stinging, annoying, aggravating, mortifying, galling; unaccommodating, invidious, vexatious; troublesome, tiresome, irksome, wearisome; plaguing, plaguy^†; awkward.    importunate; teasing, pestering, bothering, harassing, worrying, tormenting, carking.    intolerable, insufferable, insupportable; unbearable, unendurable; past bearing; not to be borne, not to be endured; more than flesh and blood can bear; enough to drive one mad, enough to provoke a saint, enough to make a parson swear, enough to gag a maggot.    shocking, terrific, grim, appalling, crushing; dreadful, fearful, frightful; thrilling, tremendous, dire; heart-breaking, heart-rending, heart-wounding, heart-corroding, heart-sickening; harrowing, rending.    odious, hateful, execrable, repulsive, repellent, abhorrent; horrid, horrible, horrific, horrifying; offensive.    nauseous, nauseating; disgusting, sickening, revolting; nasty; loathsome, loathful^†; fulsome; vile etc. (bad) 649; hideous etc. 846.    sharp, acute, sore, severe, grave, hard, harsh, cruel, biting, caustic; cutting, corroding, consuming, racking, excruciating, searching, grinding, grating, agonizing; envenomed; catheretic^†, pyrotic [Med.].    ruinous, disastrous, calamitous, tragical; desolating, withering; burdensome, onerous, oppressive; cumbrous, cumbersome.    ... show more

Strike with disgust or revulsion.

synonyms: appal, offend, outrage, scandalise, scandalize, shock.

Roget 830: cause pain, occasion pain, give pain, bring pain, induce pain, produce pain, create pain, inflict pain etc. 828; pain, hurt, wound.    pinch, prick, gripe etc. (physical pain) 378; pierce, lancinate^†, cut.    hurt the feelings, wound the feelings, grate upon the feelings, grate upon the nerves, jar upon the feelings; wring the heart, pierce the heart, lacerate the heart, break the heart, rend the heart; make the heart bleed; tear the heart strings, rend the heart strings; draw tears from the eyes.    sadden; make unhappy etc. 828; plunge into sorrow, grieve, fash^†, afflict, distress; cut up, cut to the heart.    displease, annoy, incommode, discompose, trouble, disquiet; faze, feaze^†, feeze [U.S.]; disturb, cross, perplex, molest, tease, tire, irk, vex, mortify, wherret^†, worry, plague, bother, pester, bore, pother, harass, harry, badger, heckle, bait, beset, infest, persecute, importune.    wring, harrow, torment, torture; bullyrag; put to the rack, put to the question; break on the wheel, rack, scarify; cruciate^†, crucify; convulse, agonize; barb the dart; plant a dagger in the breast, plant a thorn in one's side.    irritate, provoke, sting, nettle, try the patience, pique, fret, rile, tweak the nose, chafe, gall; sting to the quick, wound to the quick, cut to the quick; aggrieve, affront, enchafe^†, enrage, ruffle, sour the temper; give offense etc. (resentment) 900.    maltreat, bite, snap at, assail; smite etc. (punish) 972.    sicken, disgust, revolt, nauseate, disenchant, repel, offend, shock, stink in the nostrils; go against the stomach, turn the stomach; make one sick, set the teeth on edge, go against the grain, grate on the ear; stick in one's throat, stick in one's gizzard; rankle, gnaw, corrode, horrify, appal^†, appall, freeze the blood; make the flesh creep, make the hair stand on end; make the blood curdle, make the blood run cold; make one shudder.    haunt the memory; weigh on the heart, prey on the heart, weigh on the mind, prey on the mind, weigh on the spirits, prey on the spirits; bring one's gray hairs with sorrow to the bring one's gray hairs with sorrow to the grave; add a nail to one's coffin.    ... show more

Dutch: verbijsteren, ontzetten, ontstellen, choqueren, shockeren

Fill with apprehension or alarm; cause to be unpleasantly surprised.

synonyms: alarm, appal, dismay, horrify.

Roget 860: fear, stand in awe of; be afraid etc. adj.; have qualms etc. n.; apprehend, sit upon thorns, eye askance; distrust etc. (disbelieve) 485.    hesitate etc. (be irresolute) 605; falter, funk, cower, crouch; skulk etc. (cowardice) 862; let 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would'" [Macbeth] take fright, take alarm; start, wince, flinch, shy, shrink; fly etc. (avoid) 623.    tremble, shake; shiver, shiver in one's shoes; shudder, flutter; shake like an aspen leaf, tremble like an aspen leaf, tremble all over; quake, quaver, quiver, quail.    grow pale, turn pale; blench, stand aghast; not dare to say one's soul is one's own.    inspire fear, excite fear, inspire awe, excite awe; raise apprehensions^†; be in a daze, bulldoze [U.S.]; faze, feeze [U.S.]; give an alarm, raise an alarm, sound an alarm; alarm, startle, scare, cry 'wolf', disquiet, dismay; fright, frighten, terrify; astound; fright from one's propriety; fright out of one's senses, fright out of one's wits, fright out of one's seven senses; awe; strike all of a heap, strike an awe into, strike terror; harrow up the soul, appall, unman, petrify, horrify; pile on the agony.    make one's flesh creep, make one's hair stand on end, make one's blood run cold, make one's teeth chatter; take away one's breath, stop one's breath; make one tremble &c.; haunt; prey on the mind, weigh on the mind.    put in fear, put in bodily fear; terrorize, intimidate, cow, daunt, overawe, abash, deter, discourage; browbeat, bully; threaten etc. 909.    ... show more

Dutch: aanstoot geven, angstig zijn